Curved front arm lateral arm awning construction



A ril 21, 196. A v NT N zmagss LATERAL ARM AWNING CONSTRUCTION I CURVED FRONT ARM I I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 8, 1952 F. A ANTON Apzril 21, 1936.

GURVED FRONT ARM LATERAL ARM AWNING CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTOR. v

Fr'eaer TTORNEY when in folded condition, substantially parallel Patented Apr. 21, 1936 PATH NT OFF- E CURVED FRONT-ARM LATERAL AWNING CONSTRUCTION Frederick A. Anton, Topeka, Kan's: Application August 8, 1932, Serial Ni). 627,854 Clairns. (01. 155-44) This invention relates to lateral arm awnings or that class involving the use of a horizontal roller for the winding or unwinding of the fabric, and two or more folding arms for underlying the fabric when in open position and for extending,

with and adjacent to the roller on which the fabric is wound. With the modern type. of business building, provided with boxes for receiving the :foldedawningsor with narrow transombars,

wit has been a problem to provide a lateral .arm

awning'with but little pitch or slant when spread, to dispose the awning when ,folded-,.including the lateral arms, within the box or in a space approximately the width of the transom bar so that the -a.wning.-shall-not detract from the appearance of :an ornate building front, and at the same time avoid the possibility of the folded arms'failing to start their unfolding movement as the turned to unwind the fabric.

:My object is to meet this objectionable feature by so forming the members of the lateral arms roller is that when folded, the outer arm members are, placed under bending stress and hence have a tendency at the ends connected to the front or awning pole, to spring outwardly so that immediately the lpull of the wound fabric is relaxed by unwinding movement of the rollenthesaid arms shall start to unfold. I have found thatwhere the conventional type of arms are folded with the desired compactness close to the rolled .up

-fabric, .-there--is a tendency for them to stick or lock and,-in-consequence, quick and freeopen ing of the awning cannot be depended upon. However, by forming the outer members of the arms so that they are put understress when folded, the free-opening of the awning is. made dependable regardless of the compactness of the when folded. v .Heretofore, with constructi nsof thecharacter .'mentioned, it has been impossible, particularly with'low; pitched lateral arm awnings, to hold the front arm above or substantially back ,to the same vertical plane as :the rear arm. This relationship of the arms is essential for compact folding. Therefore, a further object of .the inyentionu's to-produce a lateral arm awning construction of such nature that the front can be folded :back to substantially the same vertical :plane as the rear arm member, and undersome conditions may even cross over the rear arm rmember. I

" -With the :general objects named inv'iew, and

others aswill hereinafter appear, thefinvention *consists in certain novel and useful features of constructionland organization pfparts ashereinafter described; and n order that it may be fully understood, reference is tb;{be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure '1 'is a front View jof 'a lateral armawning embodying the invention as it will, appear in folded condition.

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial top ,plan view of one of the lateral arms'and awning in collapsed condition,

Figures 3. to fiinclusive diagrammatically indicate a comparison between the old style awningarms and the awning arms. of the invention as regards thespace occupied when folded.

Figure 7 is aside elevation of an awning construction in open or unfolded position, the front arm having a double upward bend and its upper edge forming an obtuse angle with relation to the upper edge of the inner arm;

Figure'8 is a'front elevation ofi the awnm g arms of Figure '7, as'they appear in folded position.'

Figure 9' is, a side elevation' of a lateral arm, comprising outer and inner arms, in open or unfolded position, the front arm having a single upward bend and the, upper edgeof its ,major portion forming an obtuse angle with relation to the upper edge ofthe inner arm. v

Figure; is a front'elevation of the awning arms of Figure 9, as they appear in folded position. I T

In the said drawings, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the figures, I indicates a suitable hanger bracket secured to .a building front'infixed relation to the opening to beshaded, and connected thereto by a hinge pin 2 is' the rear arm member 3 of a foldinglateral arm. The number of arms varies in accordance with the width of the awning, but

' two only are shown in the drawings for convenience of illustration and description.

I The front end of the arm member 3 carries a yoke 4 receiving a similar yoke 5 on the inner end of an outer awning arm member 6,:and said yokes I are connected together bya pivot pin 1, so that "or straight portion 9 substantially parallel 'to but above the inner armmember It is also, formed with-an inclined or second upwardly bent portion 10, which, when the arm is in folded: .position,

abuts the fabric of the awning wound around the horizontal roller Illa. The inclined portion I0 merges into a second straight portion ll parallel to the portion 9, and the second I I of the arm is formed with an offset or shoulder l2, and finally terminates in a portion 13 which preferably is in a plane converging with the balance of the arm as shown most clearly in Figure 2, although this relationship is not essential but may be secured by applying bending or bowing stress through contactof the shoulder I2 with the front pole, as will hereinafter appear. The portion i3 is flattenedat its end and formed to receive a pivot pin H carried by a bracket or clamp l5 secured to the front pole I6.

As usual in lateral arm awning structures, the awning fabric a (Figure 7) is rolled on roller Illa, and the front edge of the fabric is secured to the front pole I6.

With an awning constructed as described, fabric winding movement of the roller causes the inner arm members 3 to start turning or swinging on their pins 2, the outer members 6 to commence to swing on their intermediate pins 1, and the outer ends of the arms 6 to move on the pins ll carried by the front pole. Just before the inner members assume their final positions, the front pole commences to contact with the shoulder I! of I the outer arm member. The pressure imposed tends to force the intermediate hinge pins 1 rearwardly and sets up a stress or tension in the outer arm members tending to throw the front pole outwardly or toward open position. As the winding of the fabric is continued the stress is increased until the inclined portions ID of the front arm members contact with the fabric wound on the roller, at which time it will be found that the axes of the pins 2 are below the roller, and the inner arms 3 are substantially parallel to the roller, the intermediate pins I having been forced back to substantially the same vertical plane as the pins 2, and the pins l4 connecting the front pole and the front ends of the front arm members are in a vertical plane just forward of the planes of the other two pins. It will be apparent that the front pins may never be pulled back into exactly the same vertical plane as the intermediate pivots inasmuch as if this should occur;

it will be found that the awning structure will lock in unfolding, unless stress is applied to the front arm members so that the latter, as the unwinding of the fabric starts, shall first straighten out to place their pivotal connections with the front pole in a vertical plane forwardly of the intermediate pivots, this final stress being applied ,by contact of the front arm with the roller.

Considering Figures 3 and 4, it will be noted that the former indicates a short arm and the latter a long arm, each having the same or identical angle at their intermediate pivots ll. When these arms are folded as indicated in dotted lines they will respectively occupy different distances AB. Therefore, a box of heighth to accommodate arms folding as at B would be larger than necessary and consequently wasteful of material and space, if used for arms folding as at A.

In Figures 5 and 6, awning arms of different lengths embodying the invention are diagrammatically illustrated. With this construction it will be noted that the intermediate pivot angle l8 may be uniform or identical and that the arms when folded will always occupy the same space C--D regardless of length. A standard transom bar or box may therefore be employed for all awnings.

In addition to the function and mode of operation of the construction shown in Figures 3 to 6 inclusive, it will be apparent that the upward bend adjacent the pivot [8 in Figures 1, 5, 6, '7, 8, 9, and. 10, may permit the major portion of the front arm to overlie the upper edge of the rear arm when a very compact folding, measured horizontally, is desired, whereas when the arms are made as shown in Figures 3 and 4, they come into interfering contact so far from their pivot I! that any substantial degree of overlap of the outer arm over the inner arm is prohibited. It will be further noted that by having the second bend in the outer arm 6 adjacent its outer end, so that the outer end points at substantially right angles to the plane of the pivot interconnecting the arms, it insures that when the arms are folded they will always occupy the same vertical space regardless of their lengths. It will also be noted that the upward bend adjacent the outer end of the outer arm makes it possible for this end of the arm to be slightly sprung past the circumference of the awning roller when the awning is rolled up with sufficient force to accomplish this result.

A careful consideration of Figures 3 to 6 inclusive will also show that if the angle in the vertical plane formed by the inner arm with the outer arm is known or ascertained, by locating the intermediate pivot in a vertical plane bisecting the angle of the arms, or at right angles to the arms if the arms are in line or parallel as shown in Figures 5 and 6, will always insure that when folded they shall maintain the same relationship, regardless of any increase in length.

Referring further to Figures 3 to 6 inclusive, it will be noted that in Figures 3 and 4, the pivot I! does not bisect the obtuse angle formed between the lateral arms, and it will be further noted that if the angle between the arms remains the same, but the arms are lengthened, a. greater clearance between the cloth or fabric and the arms is secured. This is a desirable result, as the longer the arms the greater the fabric spread and consequently the more chance of the fabric dragging on the arms or on the center pivot. This break or obtuse angle between the arms is usually referred to as the dip" of the arms. This type of construction has been common, but is subject to one great objection, which has never been successfully overcome up to a recent date, and that is that when the arms are folded back, the longer the arms, the greater the vertical space occupied, as at A and B.

As hereinabove mentioned, I have also found that by having the outer and inner arms in longitudinal alinement with the axis of the center pivot substantially at right angles to the axes of the arms as in Figures 5 and 6, parallel or substantially parallel (referring to the longitudinal axes of the arms) folding is secured, the distances C and D remaining equal regardless of the length of the arms. With the axes of the outer and inner arms in longitudinal alinement, however, the construction is not wholly desirable due to the fact that upon increase in the length of the arms, the clearance of the fabric above the arms grows less and less, when it should increase as above pointed out.

By combining the characteristics of the arms described, as shown in Figures '7 to 10 inclusive, an increase in fabric clearance with an increase in arm length is secured, and at the same time substantially the same vertical space will receive the arms when folded, regardless of their increase in length,jother things remaining the same. This object is accomplished by forming the pivot holes in the outer end of the inner arm and the inner. end of the outer arm, in such a fashion that the; axis of the pivot bolt will substantially bisectf-the obtuse angle formed between the arms when they are open or spread. This construction will secure an increased fabric clearance for an increase in arm length and the angle may be of any desired degree provided it gives sufficient clearance for the shortest arms and is not so small;- as to detract from the appearance of the 'structure when spread. This angle and bisecting pivot will insure that every set of arms will fold back, other things remaining the same, and occupy the same vertical space regardless of their length, except as regards slight irregularities due :to play in the bolt openings and the like. A reasonable error, in any event, does not destroy'the effectiveness of the construction for the purpose in view.

However, it has been found necessary in practice to raise the outer end'of the outer arm-in certain installations to insure that the front pole or board shall occupy the proper position with relation to the front roller, and for this reason the front arm in Figures 7 and 8 is'provided with the upward bend l and inclination II, as well as the other reasons hereinbefore pointed out, see Figure 1. 1f

From the above jdescription it will be apparent that I have produced a construction having all of the features or; advantage set forth as desirable, and it is tjoli'be understood, that although I have illustrated [and described the prefcrerd construction, I reserve the right to all changes within the spirit and scope of the invention and appended claims." 5'

I claim:---

1. The combination of a support and a lateral arm awning, of a' fabric, a roller carried by the support and receiving said fabric, a front pole connected to the .free end of the fabric, a plurality of lateral arms connecting said front pole and the supportjf'and maintaining the pole in parallel relation tot-he roller; each of said lateral arms comprising a front member and a rear member, the rear; members being swingingly pivoted to the support, and the front members being swingingly pivoted? at their inner ends to the front ends of the-rear arms and at their opposite ends being pivotally connected to the front pole, the outer end ofsaid front member having a shoulder adapted for contact with the front pol before the arm is parallel with the pole to appl bending stress on the arm for insuring that the pivotal connection between the members shall at all times fall in a verticalplane rearward of the pivot between the front member and front pole to avoid locking of the arms in folded position.

2. A lateral arm awning assembly comprising a' support, pivotally interconnected inner and outer arm members, the inner arm at its inner end being pivotally secured to the support, a roller, fabric wound on said roller, a front pole connected to the free end of the fabric and pivoted to the outer arm; said outer arm having a shoulder which applies bendingstress' on the arm through contact with the pole before the arm has completed its closing movement and also having a portion for contact with the rolled fabric to intensify the bendings'tress on the front pole; the two arms being so connected that their interconnecting pivot when the outer arm presses the fabric is immovable due to the divergence of the arcs in which said pivot tends to swing.

3. In a lateral arm structure for lateral arm awnings, the combination of: an outer and an inner arm pivotally secured together at one of" their respective ends, the outer arm having an upward bend immediately adjacent its pivot with the inner arm so that when. folded the lower with the line of its longitudinal axis extending downwardlyand outwardly, and an outer arm pivoted to the free end of the inner arm with the line of its longitudinal axis extending upwardly and outwardly, the axis of the pivotal connection between the arms-'b i'secting the angles formed at the junction of prolongations of the longitudinal axes of the arni's.

5. In a lateral arm awning," the combination of a support, an inner arm pivoted to said support with the line of its longitudinal axis extending I downwardly and outwardly, and an outer arm pivoted to the free end of the inner arm with the line of its longitudinal axis extending up-- wardly and outwardly, prolongations of said axial lines meeting in a point to form a pairof obtuse angles. the axis of the pivotal connection between the arms bisecting the said angles.

FREDERICK A. ANTON. 

